Home > About us > Māori innovation

About us
Māori innovation

Mihi

Tihei Mauri Ora, tēnei reo pōwhiri e karanga atu nei kia koutou ngā kai mahi, ngā akonga, ngā iwi whānui mo tēnei kaupapa Rangahau Pūtaiao Māori o Aotearoa e whakahirahira nei i mua kia tatou katoa o te motu. Nō reira Tēnā Koutou, Tēnā Koutou Tēnā Koutou Katoa.

Our commitment to Māori development

We are committed to supporting Māori development in keeping with the principle of partnership embodied in the Treaty of Waitangi.

This is a commitment that recognises that Māori have a rich heritage of innovation, one driven by cultural necessity and based in Aotearoa's unique natural environment.

This heritage is based on centuries of observation, information collection and exploration, and is rich in examples of entrepreneurial spirit.

Māori Research and Innovation Strategy

The purpose of our Māori research and innovation strategy is to unlock the innovation potential of Māori resources, knowledge or people for the benefit of New Zealand.

It has four overarching research themes:

  • Indigenous Innovation: contributing to economic growth through distinctive research and development
  • Taiao: achieving environmental sustainability through iwi and hapū relationships with land, water or sea
  • Oranga: improving Māori social wellbeing through addressing distinct challenges
  • Mātauranga: exploring the interface between indigenous knowledge and research, science or technology.
There are two key documents supporting the strategy:

Specific investment areas

We have a number of investment areas specifically focused on Māori innovation:

  • Te Tipu Pūtaiao (TTP) fellowships scheme is to support masterate, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers develop science and research capability. It includes a component to assist researchers move into fulltime employment.
  • Te Tipu o te Wānanga research portfolio focuses on developing research capability and capacity aligned to the themes above.
  • Business grants from Technology New Zealand, including the Collectives scheme, which helps collectively-owned businesses realise their economic potential through research and development.

All investment areas

We also encourage Māori research and innovation by making it a balance factor when selecting our investments in our other public research science and technology areas.